Book excerpt: In this edition Bill Parker expands and updates his previous selections and offers the consensus choices for the very. best classical recordings on compact disc. His knowledgeable comments on both new and old releases provide a valuable shortcut to those trying to sort out the relative merits of the past century of recording art. For the first time, this edition includes international record numbers for those collectors who prefer imported editions. With each musical period prefaced by a brief history, this edition truly becomes an indispensable reference guide for any new and curious collector.